Today is a monsoon day. Usually, there are little showers that leave the streets wet, but that clears up after 15 or 20 minutes. Today will not be one of those days. Unfortunately, I do not yet have an umbrella (because I've been lazy and am paying for it now...) Good news is that I will only to to walk the 2 km distance between my lodgings and Bishop's College twice before I receive the lovely gift of an umbrella at lunch from Margaret (the mother half of 'Ann Margaret'). Maybe today is a taxi day as well...
Yesterday was wonderful all around, though, so I can deal with the dreariness of today. At breakfast, Sissy -- or Cecile -- mentioned that she wanted to go to the cinema, but not alone. I volunteered to go with her after church and we tried to exchange mobile numbers. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately), I discovered that my cell was not working (I'll continue with that thread later). We asked Margaret if Ann wanted to come, and we all agreed to meet at noon to decide on a film.
I then walked up to the college to meet the Caleb family for church. We went to St. Andrew's Church, a former Church of Scotland congregation, now CNI. It's a beautiful building (with A/C!!!!), but membership is dwindling. People no longer live in the area and only the truly faithful (to the congregation... no questions of Christian faithfulness implied here...) make the commute. A funny story about St. Andrew's:
The Scottish founder of St. Andrew's came to Kolkata on the same boat as the Kolkata bishop of the Church of England. The Anglican bishop told the Scot that he could build a Presbyterian church in Kolkata, as long as its steeple was not taller than that of the Church of England's. The Presbyterian minister agreed, then went on to build a taller steeple... but he did not finish with that insult. No. He placed a giant rooster at the top of the steeple to 'crow' at the Anglican church below. Now St. Andrew's is locally known as the 'Cock Church of Kolkata'.
Ah... I do love me a good Church of England vs. Church of Scotland story! Especially when the Scots get the last word! The best part of the story in my opinion, though, is the fact that the two churches are now united in CNI over 100 years later! Seriously, this denomination is sooooo cool!
So, worship itself was heavily Church of Scotland. We even used the Church of Scotland worship book rather than the CNI Book of Worship. Dr. Caleb told me that each congregation of CNI retains its own worship autonomy pretty much, while the property is all owned by the denomination (which is sort of the opposite from the Disciples way of doing things, insofar as there are certain pieces that are commonly found among DOC worship services, but the congregation ALWAYS owns its own land).
After church, Dr. Caleb's oldest daughter Ruth (just starting grade 11) took me to the imported food store (peanut butter, pasta, and Pringles!! YAY!!!) and then by the mobile shop. THIS was a hoot! We walk in and have to identify my mobile number and problem on a central computer. I am then given a number on a printed out sheet of paper (my number was 'ONE') and we were ushered to the waiting area. There was no other customer in the store... and there were at least six open counters... and I was given a number and asked to wait. Ruth and I were cracking up at how totally absurd the whole thing was! After about a 3-minute wait, my number -- 'ONE' -- was called. It turns out that my phone store did not process all the necessary documents and my service was suspended until they went through. Now, just to give you an idea of what we need as documentation to purchase a cell phone in India: a copy of one's passport, a copy of the American address page, a copy of the Indian visa page, a passport photo, and a letter from one's place of Indian residence affirming the length of stay in India. Seriously, I felt like I was being processed by the Department of Homeland Security to get a mobile! So, hopefully by the end of today, my phone will be back on...
I returned to BMS to meet Cecile and Anne for the film. We decided to see Get Smart at 2:55 (I was soooo bummed to be missing it over the summer, but I am STOKED to have a decent number of 'English' films to choose from in Kolkata) at the Forum Mall. We had lunch at the food court, did a little bit of window shopping, and then went to the movies (I won't get started on the concessions area, because I'll talk on this for HOURS... its soooooo cool!). I highly recommend Get Smart to everyone! I loved the TV show as a kid, so I had VERY high expectations going into the film. It lived up! And my love of the movie had very little to do with the fact that I've found a place in Kolkata where I can sit in an air conditioned room for multiple hours and be entertained.
After the movie, I went back to Bishop's College for evening chapel. It was the first chapel service of the academic term (they're just starting today, I think), so different groups from the various languages represented at the College sang special music. It was a really cool experience, because each had its own flavor, and I was able to get a sense of the vast diversity here on campus. The service itself was very Anglican (though we sang from the old Methodist hymnal) overall, which was an odd sensory reality as we all removed our shoes and most of the congregation was seated on the floor... they insisted that I, of course, sit in one of the few chairs reserved for the elderly, faculty, and special guests (I insisted, today, that I should sit on the floor with the students).
After chapel, I went to Dr. Caleb's home for dinner. We had hot dogs, a goolash-y dish, green beans, and potatoes. They usually have a simple 'Western' meal on Sunday evenings. I loved it! We talked about the city and a lot about the foreigners who come to 'Mother's House' to do charity work. Ruth explained the Indian (private Christian) school system to me, and I told her about the American system. I really enjoyed myself. It was dark by the time we were finished, so Dr. Caleb insisted that two male students take me home. I feel bad for the poor students who just happen to be walking around campus when its time for me to leave, because Dr. Caleb just calls their name and asks if they can escort me home. They always say 'of course', of course, but I do wonder what is being put on hold for the 30 minutes it takes to deliver the American package safely home. It will be nice to be living on campus by the end of the week. This won't have to continue... I feel so badly about it (though I am grateful for the kindness they are showing me).
I had them deliver me to BMS where folks were gathering for Domino's pizza. GLORIOUS! I only had half a slice, because I had already eaten dinner with the Calebs, but it was totally worth being stuffed! I think the pizza is better here than in the States... it was at least the PERFECT end to the day!
Yesterday was wonderful all around, though, so I can deal with the dreariness of today. At breakfast, Sissy -- or Cecile -- mentioned that she wanted to go to the cinema, but not alone. I volunteered to go with her after church and we tried to exchange mobile numbers. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately), I discovered that my cell was not working (I'll continue with that thread later). We asked Margaret if Ann wanted to come, and we all agreed to meet at noon to decide on a film.
I then walked up to the college to meet the Caleb family for church. We went to St. Andrew's Church, a former Church of Scotland congregation, now CNI. It's a beautiful building (with A/C!!!!), but membership is dwindling. People no longer live in the area and only the truly faithful (to the congregation... no questions of Christian faithfulness implied here...) make the commute. A funny story about St. Andrew's:
The Scottish founder of St. Andrew's came to Kolkata on the same boat as the Kolkata bishop of the Church of England. The Anglican bishop told the Scot that he could build a Presbyterian church in Kolkata, as long as its steeple was not taller than that of the Church of England's. The Presbyterian minister agreed, then went on to build a taller steeple... but he did not finish with that insult. No. He placed a giant rooster at the top of the steeple to 'crow' at the Anglican church below. Now St. Andrew's is locally known as the 'Cock Church of Kolkata'.
Ah... I do love me a good Church of England vs. Church of Scotland story! Especially when the Scots get the last word! The best part of the story in my opinion, though, is the fact that the two churches are now united in CNI over 100 years later! Seriously, this denomination is sooooo cool!
So, worship itself was heavily Church of Scotland. We even used the Church of Scotland worship book rather than the CNI Book of Worship. Dr. Caleb told me that each congregation of CNI retains its own worship autonomy pretty much, while the property is all owned by the denomination (which is sort of the opposite from the Disciples way of doing things, insofar as there are certain pieces that are commonly found among DOC worship services, but the congregation ALWAYS owns its own land).
After church, Dr. Caleb's oldest daughter Ruth (just starting grade 11) took me to the imported food store (peanut butter, pasta, and Pringles!! YAY!!!) and then by the mobile shop. THIS was a hoot! We walk in and have to identify my mobile number and problem on a central computer. I am then given a number on a printed out sheet of paper (my number was 'ONE') and we were ushered to the waiting area. There was no other customer in the store... and there were at least six open counters... and I was given a number and asked to wait. Ruth and I were cracking up at how totally absurd the whole thing was! After about a 3-minute wait, my number -- 'ONE' -- was called. It turns out that my phone store did not process all the necessary documents and my service was suspended until they went through. Now, just to give you an idea of what we need as documentation to purchase a cell phone in India: a copy of one's passport, a copy of the American address page, a copy of the Indian visa page, a passport photo, and a letter from one's place of Indian residence affirming the length of stay in India. Seriously, I felt like I was being processed by the Department of Homeland Security to get a mobile! So, hopefully by the end of today, my phone will be back on...
I returned to BMS to meet Cecile and Anne for the film. We decided to see Get Smart at 2:55 (I was soooo bummed to be missing it over the summer, but I am STOKED to have a decent number of 'English' films to choose from in Kolkata) at the Forum Mall. We had lunch at the food court, did a little bit of window shopping, and then went to the movies (I won't get started on the concessions area, because I'll talk on this for HOURS... its soooooo cool!). I highly recommend Get Smart to everyone! I loved the TV show as a kid, so I had VERY high expectations going into the film. It lived up! And my love of the movie had very little to do with the fact that I've found a place in Kolkata where I can sit in an air conditioned room for multiple hours and be entertained.
After the movie, I went back to Bishop's College for evening chapel. It was the first chapel service of the academic term (they're just starting today, I think), so different groups from the various languages represented at the College sang special music. It was a really cool experience, because each had its own flavor, and I was able to get a sense of the vast diversity here on campus. The service itself was very Anglican (though we sang from the old Methodist hymnal) overall, which was an odd sensory reality as we all removed our shoes and most of the congregation was seated on the floor... they insisted that I, of course, sit in one of the few chairs reserved for the elderly, faculty, and special guests (I insisted, today, that I should sit on the floor with the students).
After chapel, I went to Dr. Caleb's home for dinner. We had hot dogs, a goolash-y dish, green beans, and potatoes. They usually have a simple 'Western' meal on Sunday evenings. I loved it! We talked about the city and a lot about the foreigners who come to 'Mother's House' to do charity work. Ruth explained the Indian (private Christian) school system to me, and I told her about the American system. I really enjoyed myself. It was dark by the time we were finished, so Dr. Caleb insisted that two male students take me home. I feel bad for the poor students who just happen to be walking around campus when its time for me to leave, because Dr. Caleb just calls their name and asks if they can escort me home. They always say 'of course', of course, but I do wonder what is being put on hold for the 30 minutes it takes to deliver the American package safely home. It will be nice to be living on campus by the end of the week. This won't have to continue... I feel so badly about it (though I am grateful for the kindness they are showing me).
I had them deliver me to BMS where folks were gathering for Domino's pizza. GLORIOUS! I only had half a slice, because I had already eaten dinner with the Calebs, but it was totally worth being stuffed! I think the pizza is better here than in the States... it was at least the PERFECT end to the day!
2 comments:
I saw Get Smart in Cicero, IL. I share your assessment though. I'm usually pretty nervous when a movie gets made based on a show (e.g. the upcoming Star Trek), but it was perfect! Also, I am faithfully reading your updates, and am looking forward to asking you a whole host of questions about CNI polity and doctrine. :)
Sounds like a great day!
I am so glad that I finally checked my email and saw your blog address! I have been trying to catch up with it these past two days. It has been fascinating. I would love to see some pictures too!
Love,
E
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